Southport 50th was always going to be special. Every yearSouthport Weekender comes around again and with so many mind blowing gigs and sets we've seen throughout its history, it would be fair to assume Alex, Dave and the rest of the Southport Weekender family couldn't top it off again, but my gosh they did! It was an epic weekender.

The history of Southport Weekender has been inspirational to many lovers of soul and unity. That's why so many American artists, who have influenced dance music, always return back to get a slice of this unique melting pot. David Morales, Derrick Carter, Kerri Chandler, Kenny Dope, Jazzy Jeff, as well as legendary UK pioneers such as Carl Cox, David Rodigan, Trevor Nelson, Giles Peterson, Norman Jay and Mr Scruff were all in the house. Amazing live acts such as Faith Evans, Omar, Marcos Valle and Snarky Puppy added to the magic of what was a fantastic weekend.

Arriving on Friday, it was hard not to get swept away with the excitement but with the After Parties and so much to see, it was best not to burn out too soon. Brand New Heavies in The Connoisseur's Corner was a perfect way to start the weekender. They always know how to win the Southport Weekender crowd with their great display of funk musicianship immediately getting the dance floor moving. With Suncebeat and now two more events this year - one at Camelot and a special nostalgia gig back at the original Pontins in Southport - there were plenty more opportunities to experience the good vibrations of the festival. There's no doubt anyone who's been to Suncebeat knows how good that event is, and that I'm sure will be even more prolific this year due to the tragic death of Frankie Knuckles, who was going to headline Suncebeat this year.

Real life hip hop stars Pras and Ja Rule star as an ambitious young rapper and his violent best friend/producer in "Turn It Up," a film spawned by Pras' song "Ghetto Superstar," which appeared on the soundtrack for Warren Beatty's bold political satire "Bulworth."

But while these two recording artists do a sincere and effective job making their characters feel true-to-life and depicting the ugly side of the rap label biz, the movie adheres to a formula of "money, drugs and 'hos" (to quote Ja Rule's character) that is neither ambitious nor bold.

With a pretty standard edge-of-the-ghetto backdrop and a plot concerning what Pras' perfectionist proto-rapper is willing to do to make his dream come true, "Turn It Up" mixes the predictable (a ruthless drug kingpin, a pregnant girlfriend, an absentee father looking for redemption) with a few Hong Kong-style shootouts that making killing look cool as long as you're killing people less moral than yourself.